Friday, July 26, 2013

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian health ministry official says two protesters were killed in clashes between supporters and opponents of the country's ousted president in the coastal city of Alexandria.

The clashes broke out Friday, a day when rival rallies are held across Egypt. The country's army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi called for rallies to give him a mandate to stop "violence and terrorism." The supporters of Mohammed Morsi, the first democratically elected president removed by el-Sissi early this month, also held rallies Friday.

Friction started outside a major mosque in Alexandria, as the two sides exchanged stones and fired birdshot. Police and army tried to break up the fighting, lobbing tear gas and deploying soldiers. Health official Mohammed Abu Suleiman said two were killed and two dozen injured.

(TIME) Early Friday morning, an Egyptian judge announced the detention of deposed President Mohamed Morsi for 15 days while authorities investigate charges of espionage levied against him by the transitional government. The move aborts all possibility of near-term reconciliation with Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.